Hi, My name’s Puffmagic, and I’m a white guy. Because I was born white and live in the suburbs I don’t usually listen to rap. Many believe that rap is music that only black people, or “people born in America with either direct or ancestral African lineage who’s skin produces higher levels of melanin”, can appreciate. While much of the content of mainstream rap and hip-hop indeed carries a context that I can’t relate to I feel that it’s unfair to wholly discount rap and hip-hop as merely “black people music” as my elderly neighbor refers to it. I’m not saying that the countless MCs and DJs spreading out their rap demos are all beacons of musical prestige, I mean how many times can you rap about how your rap skills are the mad freshest, having sex with hoes, getting lots of money, buying diamond encrusted items and drinking expensive champagne (pronounced “sham-pag’-nee”)? Eventually you have to come to the conclusion that some or most rap artists must be lying about their skills as a rapper because they all claim to bring the fire and that all the other rappers are “Whack MCs”, and that certainly can’t be the case, some rappers must be as good as others, it’s just math. But what do I know, I’m a white guy from the suburbs. The suburbs of Oregon.

So discovering fellow white guys that are also good at rap (or rap well? Is that how you say it?) makes me feel like I can appreciate at least some parts of the rap/hip-hop culture without actually pretending that I can relate to it. Because I’ve seen white guys who pretend to relate to it, I’ve seen them in my town, they wear FUBU and straight billed, over-sized “lids”, big gold chains with fake diamonds and their pants are always around their knees. They look fucking ridiculous. I don’t think I have to grab my genitals when talking to appreciate rap music. That’s why I’m thankful for Sage Francis, his rap is genuine and masterful. He doesn’t appear to buy into the typical themes of rap, i.e. the aforementioned bitches, hoes and bling; his lyrics are more about reality than a magical world where everyone drives a Bentley and throws fistfuls of cash at people. Racial Disclaimer for the Liberals: I know that not all rap is like this and that there are “African Americans” who’s rap is poetic, thoughtful and deep, but I’m not talking about them right now. Right now I’m talking about a white guy. Relax. Anyway, where was I, oh yeah. white guys who are good at rap. Francis does spend some time assuring the listener that he is, in fact, that fresh while you are unfortunately “really not all that dope”, but for the most part his lyrics read like beat poetry, which makes sense because it sounds like he’s spend plenty of time reading up on it. He name drops a veritable college hipster’s Lit. course worth of material; Bukowski, Ginsberg, references to Faust, the Bible, Bob Dylan, My Chemical Romance, Godspeed! You Black Emperor and Jagged Little Pill. A few of the tracks tend to fade into each other stylistically, “Keep Moving”, “Waterline”, “Black Out on White Night” and “Hell of a Year” make up the album’s slow middle but it’s capped at both ends by some excellent, powerful tracks. The first standout track is “Got Up This Morning”, a swampy reggae beat with dry, hillbilly acoustic guitar and guest singer/musician Jolie Holland wailing like a stray cat in heat. In the immortal and enlightened words of Paris Hilton, “That’s Hot.” Cause it is. The next stand-out is “Clickety Clack”, a dark and calculating track about captivity, violence and revenge. Imagine Gnarls Barkley’s “Necromancing” without the creepy and twice the sinister. Beyond that Francis returns to trashing on his over-eager competition on “Midgets and Giants” where he takes the young, false DIY DJs to task on demo tapes, drugs and nipple grabs. The last part of the album is bookended with three very good tracks, the smarmy and broad-chested “Call Me Francois”, the raging, anarchist “Hoofprints in the Sand” and the thugged up prison story of “Going Back to Rehab”. It’s rap, nay poetry, about anger, violence, divorce, sex, ego, and the struggle of man against his odds, whether they be government, relationships, family or his own demons. There’s no catchy dance to accompany any of the tracks, there’s no product placement, there’s not a guest rap by a guy he owed a favor to, there’s just Francis, his notebook and some beats and that’s more than enough.

Puffmagic gives “Human the Death Dance” by Sage Francis 3.5 out of 5 Rob Gordons

Mon May 07, 2007 10:33 pm

Sage FrancisSelf Fighteous

Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 21654

I couldn't even read this whole thing. In 2001 I toured with DJ Abilities and we called people like this "White Knights."

Mon May 07, 2007 10:40 pm

still illiterate

Joined: 09 Aug 2002
Posts: 1941
Location: Iowa

this is weird and makes me feel gross.

Mon May 07, 2007 10:42 pm

adfdub

Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 293
Location: U.S.A.

I read it.

Mon May 07, 2007 10:54 pm

jakethesnakeguy who cried about wrestling being real

Joined: 03 Feb 2006
Posts: 6311
Location: airstrip one

At least it sounds like he actually took a good listen to HTDD and that puts him miles ahead of most of the reviews that have been posted so far.

It reads more like he's just typing his thoughts and ignoring the backspace key.

I don't know if I want to read all of his thoughts...

Mon May 07, 2007 10:58 pm

adfdub

Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 293
Location: U.S.A.

I've never heard of this guy. I don't know WHAT to think of his review.

Mon May 07, 2007 10:59 pm

medicinemanHALFLING

Joined: 21 Apr 2007
Posts: 1393
Location: Iowa City

going back to rehab is a thugged up prison story? I'm going to start including "Racial Disclaimer for the Liberals:" in more of my statements

Mon May 07, 2007 11:07 pm

gordon shumway

Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 292

That was not good. The responses on the link were fucked as was the whole thing.

Mon May 07, 2007 11:20 pm

futuristxen

Joined: 01 Jul 2002
Posts: 19377
Location: Tighten Your Bible Belt

How is that white pride? Did you guys who are reacting to the review actually read the review? It's just some kid blogging about this album contextualizing it within his experience. And the most offensive stuff he says in there have been said on this board many times by a lot of people, with not much flack.

Mon May 07, 2007 11:33 pm

The Count

Joined: 26 May 2006
Posts: 1558
Location: Chapel Hill

Racist

Mon May 07, 2007 11:38 pm

futuristxen

Joined: 01 Jul 2002
Posts: 19377
Location: Tighten Your Bible Belt

Well I mean...he references Gnarls Barkley, and Cee-lo is not white last I knew. Just sounds like another dumb kid trying to negotiate race and rap music.

It's not like Epitaph isn't marketing to these type of kids. With "genre defying" as their tag line. I think the implication one would draw from their marketing is exactly what this kid is getting out of the music.

I guarantee there's a huge portion of the fanbase that likes Sage because he's not say....Lil Wayne.

To isolate this guy's opinions out and put them in a KKK context, is marginalizing a viewpoint that from my perspective is anything but on the margins.

theres a big difference in saying I don't like shallow music, and saying I don't like black music because it's shallow.

"I know that not all rap is like this and that there are “African Americans” who’s rap is poetic, thoughtful and deep, but I’m not talking about them right now."

Its silly yes, but don't dive too far into this. It's just a guy relating to his white brethren...hahaha. He doesn't down talk black people, he just fails to mention white rappers that follow the same generic rap music formula.

His KKK tats aren't even visible, settle down.

Tue May 08, 2007 6:57 am

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